Accelerometer and Rate Sensor Package for Gravity Gradiometer Instruments

ABSTRACT

An accelerometer and rate sensor package to aid gravity gradiometers is provided. The accelerometer and rate sensor package is mounted directly on or within a gravity gradiometer instrument (GGI). Outputs from the sensors can be used to reduce unwanted noise due to angular rotational rates, angular accelerations and linear accelerations that may be coupled to the GGI. Since the sensor assembly is directly mounted on or within the GGI, the sensor assembly is coupled to the GGI and senses the acceleration and angular rates as seen by the GGI. Thus, outputs from the GGI can be corrected more effectively using the sensor assembly&#39;s outputs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present patent application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/029,229, filed on Jan. 4, 2005, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for processing gravitygradiometer geophysical survey data, and more particularly, to reducingnoise within gravity gradiometer measurements resulting from motions ofa survey vehicle carrying the gravity gradient measuring instrument.

BACKGROUND

Gravity surveying is one technique in modern exploration for mineral andpetroleum commodities. For example, detection of geophysicallysignificant subsurface anomalies potentially associated with ore bodiesor hydrocarbon deposits can be made using gravity surveying techniquessince the existence of gravitational anomalies usually depends upon thepresence of an excess or deficit mass associated with the deposit. Atany observation point within an arbitrary volume unit, the gravity fieldat that observation point can be resolved into x, y, z components withrespective magnitudes that are a function of the location of thatobservation point relative to any mass inhomogenieties. And, thegravitational field can be directly related to geological structures andanomalous densities such as salt, or massive sulfides, for example. Whenused in conjunction with other geological data, gravity survey datahelps to confirm the true geometry of a geological shape beforedrilling, for example.

As one example, the gravitational anomaly of a body of ore with adensity contrast of 300 kg m⁻³ and a dimension of 200 m buried at adepth of 100 m is typically 20×10⁻⁶ ms⁻², for example, which is about0.00002% of the normal Earth gravity field. This relatively small effectis normally measured in units of milli gals (mGal), which is the unitfor the free air and Bouguer gravity field measurements and isequivalent to 10⁻⁵ m/s². Thus, for the above example, the body of orewould be represented by about 2 mGal.

Some geophysical prospecting has progressed towards gravity gradiometry.In principle, measurement of a gradient of a gravity field over a knownbaseline allows accelerations due to motion of the platform itself to becancelled out. Gravity gradients are the spatial derivative of thegravity vector field (e.g., a second order derivative of thegravitational potential), and have units of mGal per unit distance suchas mGal/km. The standard unit of gravity gradiometry is the Eötvös (E),which is equal to 10⁻⁹s⁻² or a tenth of a mGal over a kilometer (e.g.,gradient signatures of shallow Texas salt domes are typically 50-100 E).

Gravity-Gradient Instruments (GGI) are used to measure the gravitygradients over an area. However, vibrations of a vessel carrying the GGIor other forces may cause the GGI to rotate a few milli-radians aboutthe x or y body axes of the GGI. GGI measurements can be affected bysuch rotations. For example, such rotations cause accelerometers withinthe GGI to sense a centripetal acceleration. The centripetalacceleration results in a measured centripetal gradient that cannot bedistinguished within the measured gravity gradients. For example, arotation rate of 3.1×10⁻⁴ radians per second will generate an apparentgravity gradient of approximately 1E. Further, because the magnitude ofthe centripetal acceleration is related to the tangential speed andangular velocity as follows:

$\begin{matrix}{A_{c} = {\frac{v_{t}^{2}}{r} = {r \times \omega^{2}}}} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} (1)}\end{matrix}$

where r is the radius of the rotations and ω is the angular rate of therotations, then the gradient (e.g., the first derivative with respect tor) is ω², and this squared product may translate effects from higherfrequency angular rotation rates into low frequency noise. Measuredsignals may then be distorted if the low frequency noise is in the samefrequency range as the measured signal, for example.

As a solution, GGIs are usually angularly decoupled from the vessel(e.g., marine or aircraft vessel) that carries the GGI. Decoupling canbe accomplished by mounting the GGI on a gyro-stabilized table.Unfortunately, however, such stabilized tables may only be able toisolate the GGI from rotational rates up to a certain frequency (e.g.,up to 20 Hz) due to the mass of the table, which in turn, is driven bythe size and weight of the GGI, the compliance between the stable tableand the gyroscopes, and the gain versus frequency of applied torque, forexample. Thus, higher frequencies of vessel motion, such as mechanicaland acoustical noise including engine and propeller noises may not beeliminated, and may be included in measurements by the GGI.

GGI measurements can also be affected by misalignment errors within themechanics of the instruments. For example, GGIs include mechanicalassemblies either directly or as part of the instrumentation system.Because the GGIs are not perfect, the GGIs can include mechanicalalignment errors that can cause errors in measurements. The alignmenterrors can vary over time, environmental conditions and environmenthistory, for example, such as power shut down resulting in largetemperature changes, shock due to equipment handling and hard landings,and pressure and humidity changes.

Further, GGIs contain mechanical or electro/mechanical devices tomeasure the changes in local gravity forces. Such devices may include anaccelerometer that has a proof mass, which is restrained by eitherelectrical or mechanical means. The electrical or mechanical restrainingforce, when properly scaled, is a direct measure of the sum of bothacceleration and gravity forces. Because the proof mass cannot becompletely restrained to zero motion in any and all directions at alltimes, non-linearities can occur in output measurements. Thesenon-linearities include the squared, cubic and higher order terms of theapplied force and the cross product terms of the orthogonal forces,e.g., F(K1x+K2x²+K3x³+K4xy+K5xz+K6yz+K7zz+K8yy). In this example, F isthe applied gravity and acceleration force in each direction, and K1represents the scaling of the linear term and thus scales the desiredoutput. K2 through K8 are typically 1/10̂6 to 1/10̂7 as compared to K1.However, since measured differences in gravity force on the order of1/10̂11 are desired, such nonlinearities become significant.

SUMMARY

Within embodiments disclosed herein, a gravity gradiometer is describedthat includes an accelerometer and one or more angular rate sensors. Theaccelerometer measures an acceleration along an input axis, and ismounted such that the input axis is parallel to an axis of rotation ofthe gravity gradiometer. The one or more angular rate sensors measure anangular rate along an input axis, and are mounted such that each inputaxis of the one or more angular rate sensors is orthogonal to eachother.

In another aspect, a method of compensating gravity gradientmeasurements is described. The method includes receiving outputs fromone or more angular rate sensors that are directly coupled to a gravitygradiometer. The one or more angular rate sensors measure an angularrate along an input axis, and are mounted such each input axis of theone or more angular rate sensors is orthogonal to each other andorthogonal to an axis of rotation of the gravity gradiometer. The methodfurther includes calculating a centripetal gravity gradient of thegravity gradiometer using the outputs from the one or more angular ratesensors, and subtracting the centripetal gravity gradient from a gravitygradient measured by the gravity gradiometer.

The method may additionally or alternatively include calculating amisalignment correction term using the outputs from the one or moreangular rate sensors. The misalignment correction term compensates foralignment errors within the gravity gradient measure by the gravitygradiometer. The method may then include subtracting the misalignmentcorrection term from a gravity gradient measured by the gravitygradiometer.

Furthermore, the method may additionally or alternatively includereceiving outputs from an accelerometer of a gravity gradiometer thatmeasures an acceleration along an input axis, and is coupled to thegravity gradiometer such that the input axis is parallel to an axis ofrotation of the gravity gradiometer. The method may further includecalculating a correction term using the outputs from the accelerometerthat compensates for non-linearities within the gravity gradient, andsubtracting the correction term from the gravity gradient measured bythe gravity gradiometer.

These as well as other features, advantages and alternatives will becomeapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the followingdetailed description, with appropriate reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate one example of an arrangement of gravity gradientinstruments.

FIG. 2A-2B illustrate one example of a gravity gradient instrument discincluding an arrangement of accelerometers.

FIG. 3A illustrates another example of an arrangement of accelerometers.

FIG. 3B illustrates one example of an arrangement of accelerometerswithin a gravity gradient instrument.

FIG. 4 illustrates one example of rate sensors and an accelerometermounted to a gravity gradient instrument.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of an arrangement of the rate sensors.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting one embodiment of compensating the GGImeasurements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one example, a sensor assembly is provided to improve the performanceof GGI systems. More particularly, the sensor assembly includesaccelerometers and angular rate sensors that are mounted directly on orwithin a Gravity Gradiometer Instrument (GGI). Outputs from the sensorassembly can be used to compensate for unwanted noise measurements dueto angular rotational rates, angular accelerations and linearaccelerations that may be coupled to the GGI. Thus, outputs from thesensor assembly can be used to compensate for noise measurements inducedby centripetal, misalignment and non-linear effects associated with GGImeasurements.

Since the sensor assembly is directly mounted on or within the GGI, thesensor assembly is coupled to the GGI and senses the acceleration andangular rates as seen by the GGI. Thus, outputs from the GGI can becorrected more effectively, for example, using the sensor assembly'soutputs rather than using outputs from sensors decoupled from the GGI.For example, a rate sensor may be coupled to the GGI in a manner so asto measure a centripetal gradient as seen by the GGI. The centripetalgradient can then be removed from GGI outputs to reveal true outputs dueto changes of a local gravity field perturbed by the presence of one ormore masses (e.g., sub-terrain mass).

I. Survey Flying and Gravity Gradiometer Instruments (GGI)

A geophysical survey is conducted, using specialized instruments, byflying over a terrain of interest at a low altitude of 100 m, forexample. A series of nominally parallel survey lines can be flown untilthe total region to be surveyed has been covered. The specializedinstruments include inertial platforms and geophysical instrumentsystems including a radar altimeter, a gradiometer (GGI), a magneticsensor, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, an electromagneticsensor, and a differential global positioning system (DGPS) sensor, forexample. Some of these components can be combined into one component,such as including the gravity gradiometer within a Full Tensor Gradient(FTG) instrument, such as the FTG System developed and manufactured byLockheed Martin®, for example.

A geophysical survey is conducted to measure the gravity field over anarea, for example. A GGI can measure the spatial rate of change of theEarth's gravity field and provide a signal from which the instantaneousgradient of gravity can be derived. (Note that a measurement of gravitygradient may be preferred for detection of gravity disturbances from anairborne platform because a direct measurement of gravity can notdistinguish the gravity signal from accelerations of the instrumentassociated with the motion of the aircraft). Using gravity gradientsignals, detection of geophysically significant subsurface anomaliespotentially associated with ore bodies or hydrocarbon deposits can bemade since the existence of gravitational anomalies usually depends uponthe presence of an excess or deficit mass associated with the deposit.

A geophysical survey may be conducted with one or more GGIs. Forexample, a system including an FTG instrument that has three GGIs can beused. The three GGIs may be oriented in a manner such that, unlike aconventional gravimeter that offers data collection only in the vertical(z) direction, the three GGI system may acquire data from alldirections.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate embodiments of an orientation of three GGIs,such as within an FTG instrument. FIG. 1A illustrates that each of theGGIs is oriented at 120° from each other relative to a plane through thecenter of each GGI and the platform azimuth axis. Further, each GGI ispositioned such that it is approximately 35° from a horizontal plane(e.g., and approximately 55° from a vertical plane) as shown in FIG. 1B.This is one unique configuration in which the three GGI axes aremutually perpendicular in addition to each forming an equal angle withthe vertical axis. Using the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1A and1B, the three GGI system may collect data from all directions. The GGI'smay be mounted on a three gimbaled stabilized platform. The azimuthgimbal can be set to carousel (e.g., rotate) at a commanded rate, suchas 300 degrees/hour, for example. Rotation of the GGI's through all theplanes may allow for improved noise reduction, for example.

The GGIs illustrated in FIG. 1 may be any type of GGI such as, forexample, the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,802 to Hofmeyer, etal., entitled “Rotating Accelerometer Gradiometer,” which is entirelyincorporated herein by reference, as if fully set forth in thisdescription. Other GGIs may be used as well.

The GGIs of the FTG instrument in FIG. 1 measure gradients of the ninetensor components of the gravity gradient tensor. The gradient (e.g.,first derivative) of the gravitational acceleration is expressed by asymmetric tensor T_(μv) defined as:

$\begin{matrix}{T_{\mu \; v} = \begin{bmatrix}{Txx} & {Txy} & {Txz} \\{Tyx} & {Tyy} & {Tyz} \\{Tzx} & {Tzy} & {Tzz}\end{bmatrix}} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} (2)}\end{matrix}$

where the components of the tensor T_(μv) describe the nine componentsof the gravity gradients and T_(μv) is the rate of change of the ucomponent of the gravity vector with displacement in the v direction.Five of the tensor components are independent, and four are redundant asfollows:

Txy=Tyx

Txz=Tzx

Tyz=Tzy

Tzz=−(Txx+Tyy)  Equation (3)

The first three conditions in Equation (3) arise from the potentialfield relations, and the forth condition is a consequence of thegravitational potential being a solution to the Laplace equation.

Further, inline components of the gravity gradient tensor are defined asthe Txx, Tyy, and Tzz components, and cross components are defined asthe Txy, Txz and Tyz components. For example, cross signals aregradients measured when any two accelerometers align horizontally.In-line gradients are measured when the same accelerometers are at a 45degree angle to horizontal. A gravity gradiometer outputs one cross andone inline signal. Thus, an FTG that includes three GGIs will outputthree inline and three cross signals.

II. Accelerometer Package for Gravity Gradiometer Instruments

A gravity gradiometry system internally includes one or more rotatingdiscs with accelerometers to sense accelerations in the X, Y, and Zdirections. The discs are mounted within a GGI. For example, the GGI(e.g., within a full tensor gradiometer (FTG)) may include three discs,each mounted in a respective plane that is coincident or parallel withone of the three body-axis planes (referred to as “mounting plane”) ofthe GGI, such that a spin axis of the disc is perpendicular to themounting plane.

Gravity gradients can then be determined by the difference in readingsbetween opposing pairs of accelerometers on the discs. For example, theGGI measures difference in the intensity of a first gravitational fieldby moving an accelerometer via a circular path between two spaced-apartlocations. If the disc were oriented in a plane perpendicular to thesurface of the earth, upon rotation of the disc, the accelerometer onthe disc would pass through one location in the direction of the earth'sgravitational field and through a second location a small distance fromthe first location, in the direction opposite to the gravitationalfield. The gravity gradient T is measured in terms of difference ofgravitational acceleration between the two locations, and the distancebetween the two locations. The gradient is given by the difference oftwo accelerometer outputs divided by the distance (e.g., in centimeters)between the two locations, for example.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate one embodiment of a rotating disc 200including accelerometers that may be used within a GGI. FIG. 2A is aside view of the disc 200 and FIG. 2B is a top view of the disc 200. Thedisc assembly includes a circular substrate, which serves to supportaccelerometers. The disc 200 may be mounted within a GGI such that the Zaxis of the disc 200 is parallel with the spin axis of the GGI (asdefined in FIG. 1B).

The disc 200 is shown to include five accelerometers a1-a5.Accelerometers a1 and a2 are positioned opposite one another,accelerometers a3 and a4 are positioned opposite one another, andaccelerometer a5 is positioned at the center of the disc 200. Theopposing pairs of matched accelerometers (a1-a2 and a3-a4) may bemounted 10 cm apart, for example. Alternatively, the accelerometersa1-a4 may be equi-spaced on the disc 200 such that pairs ofaccelerometers are mounted π radians apart on the disc 400 and eachindividual accelerometer is mounted π/2 radians apart on the disc 200.Further, the accelerometers a1-a4 may be mounted to the disc 200 suchthat their input axis is a radius R from the spin axis (input axes aredenoted by the arrow on the accelerometers). The accelerometers a1-a4input axes are shown to be perpendicular to the radius R; however, theinput axes may be oriented at other angles relative to the radius R.

The accelerometers a1-a4 are mounted with their sensitive axes (e.g.,input axis) tangential to the circle with the same sense (e.g., theaccelerometers sensitive axis is denoted by arrows). Accelerometersa1-a4 sense an acceleration along the X and Y axes, and accelerometer a5senses an acceleration along the Z axis (e.g., denoted the spin axis inFIG. 2A). Thus, the accelerometer a5 is mounted so that its input axisis parallel with the spin axis, and the accelerometer a5 may then sensean acceleration that is perpendicular to the acceleration sensed byaccelerometers a1-a4.

The disc 200 rotates at a commanded rate, such as 0.5 Hz, for example,about an axis perpendicular to the sensitive axes of the accelerometers(e.g., the Z axis or the spin axis). Data then can be sampled at highrates of 128 Hz, for example.

It should be understood that the accelerometer arrangement and otherarrangements described herein are set forth for purposes of exampleonly, and other arrangements and elements can be used instead and someelements may be omitted altogether. For example, the disc 200 mayinclude more or less accelerometers, such as a total of nineaccelerometers, with one accelerometer mounted vertically in the centerof the disc 200 and the remaining eight accelerometers spaced π/4radians apart horizontally on the disc 200. This arrangement isillustrated in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional view ofthe accelerometers within the GGI. The center accelerometer is not shownin FIG. 3B. Other arrangements are possible as well.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the disc 200 may also include other multiplesof four accelerometers positioned horizontally on the disc about acommon axis with one or more accelerometers positioned vertically on thedisc along the spin axis. The accelerometers may be of any type and oneexample includes the AQ2000 Q-Flex® available from HoneywellInternational, Inc. in Redmond, Wash.

Accelerometers on the disc 200 could also be mounted to the exterior ofa GGI. For example, the vertically mounted accelerometer (a5 in FIG. 2)could be mounted to the exterior or the case of the GGI. In this manner,the accelerometer is coupled to the GGI such that it is isolated fromother frequencies. (Rate sensors may also be positioned on GGI theplatform itself to sense accelerations of the GGI platform). FIG. 4illustrates a vertically mounted accelerometer 400 mounted to a bracket402 of a GGI 404. However, the accelerometer 402 may be mounted anywhereon the GGI 404, such as on a top 406 or on the side of the GGI 404, aslong as an input axis of the accelerometer 402 is parallel with the spinaxis of the GGI 404.

Since the accelerometer a5 is directly mounted on or within the GGI 404,the accelerometer a5 will measure the accelerations orthogonal to theaccelerations which the accelerometers a1-a4 experience. Thus, outputsfrom the accelerometer a5 can be used to more accurately measure theacceleration environment experienced by accelerometers a1-a4, forexample. This allows for improved removal of errors due tonon-linearities and misalignments of accelerometers a1-a4.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the disc 200 is shown to spin in acounterclockwise direction at a constant rate of Ωradians/second. Eachaccelerometer provides a sinusoidally varying analog output that is afunction of the acceleration experienced by each accelerometer as theaccelerometer orbits the spin axis. In a uniform gravity field, eachmember of an opposing pair of accelerometers generates the same outputas it proceeds along its orbital path. However, when the local gravityfield is perturbed by the presence of one or more masses (e.g.,sub-terrain mass), each accelerometer will experience differentaccelerations throughout its orbit. The quantitative output of eachaccelerometer, coupled with its rotary position, provides informationrelated to the local gravity gradients.

Thus, the electric signal output from the accelerometers serves as ameasure of any forces, including the force of gravity and vehicleaccelerations, which may be applied to the accelerometers. As notedabove, the gradient T is defined by the difference of gravity inducedforce measured by accelerometers at two spaced-apart locations dividedby the spacing between the two locations. A GGI may include (or be incommunication with) a processor that may execute instructions tocalculate a gravity tensor element as a function of the forces measuredby the accelerometers a1-a4, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,802 toHofmeyer, et al., which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

Outputs from accelerometers a1-a4 can be demodulated to measureacceleration and gravity induced forces in the plane of rotation (e.g.,in the X-Y plane), and outputs from accelerometer a5 can measureacceleration and gravity induced forces along the spin axis (e.g., the Zaxis), for example.

III. Rate Sensor Package for Gravity Gradiometer Instruments

A GGI (e.g., in an FTG arrangement as shown in FIG. 1) also may includea rate sensor package. In particular, the GGI may include one or moreangular rate sensors directly mounted on or within the GGI. FIG. 4illustrates two angular rate sensors 408 and 410 mounted to the bracket402 of the GGI 404. The angular rate sensors may be any type, such asthe ARS-09 MHD angular rate sensor available from Applied TechnologyAssociates (ATA) Sensors in Albuquerque, N. Mex., for example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the two angular rate sensors 408 and 410 are mountedsuch that input axes of each of the sensors 408 and 410 are orthogonal.The sensors 408 and 410 may be mounted in any arrangement as long astheir input axes are orthogonal, and such that the two angular ratesensors 408 and 410 are mounted to measure rates of rotation about twoaxes that are perpendicular to each other and perpendicular to the axisof rotation (e.g., the spin axis). Thus, the input axes of the two ratesensors 408 and 410 and the spin axis will each be orthogonal to eachother. This arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 5.

The angular rate sensors 408 and 410 measure the angular rotational rateof the GGI in a given axis. Thus, using two angular rate sensors, theangular rate for two axes can be measured. The angular rate sensors 408and 410 may be mounted on the bracket 402 next to the accelerometer 400,or the sensors 408 and 410 may be mounted elsewhere on or in the GGI ina manner such that the input axis of each sensor 408 and 410 and thespin axis are all orthogonal to each other.

Since the angular rate sensors 408 and 410 are mounted directly on theGGI 404, the angular rate sensors 408 and 410 will measure the sameangular rate that the GGI 404 experiences, and that the accelerometersa1-a4 experience. Thus, outputs from the angular rate sensors 408 and410 can be used to remove the unwanted noise within GGI measurements dueto angular rates sensed by the accelerometers a1-a4.

IV. Compensation for Centripetal Acceleration effects on GGIMeasurements

Vibrations of a vessel carrying the GGI or other forces may cause theGGI to rotate about the X or Y body axes of the GGI. GGI measurementscan be affected by such rotations.

For example, the rotations cause accelerometers within the GGI to sensea centripetal acceleration. The centripetal acceleration results in ameasured centripetal gradient that cannot be distinguished from measuredgravity gradients. The apparent gravity gradient is proportional to thesquare of the instantaneous angular rate. For example, rotations of

$\frac{1}{10^{9}}$

radians per second squared are equivalent to 1E, and if measurements onthe order of 2E are desired, then such rotations can distort desiredsignals. GGIs are usually angularly decoupled from the vessel (e.g.,marine or aircraft vessel) that carries the GGI by mounting the GGI on agyro-stabilized table. Although the stabilized table can reduce themagnitude of the vibration induced rotations of the GGI, it may beimpossible to fully eliminate such rotations using the stabilized table.Further, the stabilized table may only be able to isolate the GGI fromrotational rates up to a certain frequency (e.g., up to 10 to 30 Hz).

In one embodiment, outputs from the angular rate sensors 408 and 410 canbe used to remove centripetal gradient measurements within outputs ofthe GGI. The angular rate sensors 408 and 410 can capture high frequencyrotational rates since the angular sensors 408 and 410 are directlycoupled to the GGI 404.

A gravity gradient due to accelerations sensed by the accelerometersa1-a4 related to local sub-terrain mass is a true gravity gradient. Inone embodiment, the true gravity gradient can be approximated asfollows:

true gravity gradient=gravity gradient output from GGI−centripetalgradient  Equation (4)

where the centripetal gradient can be found as follows:

centripetal gradient=(A*rate sensor output)²  Equation (5)

where A is a scaling factor to translate the rate sensor outputs into

$\frac{rad}{s^{2}}.$

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting one embodiment of compensating the GGImeasurements. For example, at box 602, a centripetal correction value iscalculated, which can be subtracted from the GGI outputs to determine atrue gravity gradient.

In particular, for example, the centripetal contributions to the 3inline GGI outputs (i₁, i₂, i₃) and the 3 cross GGI outputs (c₁, c₂, c₃)are given by:

i ₁=10⁹·(Ω² _(v)−Ω² _(w))/2

i ₂=10⁹·(Ω² _(w)−Ω² _(u))/2

i ₃=10⁹·(Ω² _(u)−Ω² _(v))/2  Equation (6)

c ₁=10⁹·(Ω_(v)Ω_(w))

c ₂=10⁹·(Ω_(w)Ω_(u))

c ₃=10⁹·(Ω_(u)Ω_(v))  Equation (7)

where

Ω_(u) =C _(u)+ω_(u)

Ω_(v) =C _(v)+ω_(v)

Ω_(w) =C _(w)+ω_(w)  Equation (8)

where Ω_(i) is the total rotation rate about the i^(th) axis and isgiven by the sum of the commanded rate, C_(i), and the ‘jitter’ ratesensed by the platform rate sensors and the gradiometer mounted gyros408 and 410, ω_(i), as shown at box 602. (The factor of 10⁹ withinEquation (4) is to convert from units of inverse seconds squared toEotvos units). As further shown at box 602, for example, the jitter rateis obtained by filtering and combining the outputs of the platform andgradiometer mounted gyros 408 and 410. The centripetal contributions tothe 3 inline GGI outputs (i₁, i₂, i₃) and the 3 cross GGI outputs (c₁,c₂, c₃) are then subtracted from the GGI outputs to calculate thecentripetally corrected GGI output signal.

V. Compensation for Misalignment effects on GGI Measurements

GGI measurements can also be affected by misalignment errors withinmechanics of the instruments. Because of imperfections within the GGIs,the GGIs can include mechanical alignment errors that can cause errorsin measurements induced by angular accelerations of the GGI. Forexample, input axes of the accelerometers a1-a4 may not be alignedperfectly with the X or Y axes of the GGI 404. Specifically, forexample, an accelerometer may be mounted offset at an angle verticallyfrom a desired position due to manufacturing imperfections. Suchmisalignment errors can vary over time, environmental conditions andenvironment history, for example. Alignment errors can introduce noiseinto GGI measurements.

The one or more rate sensors 408 and 410, which are directly mounted onor within the GGI, can provide outputs to correct for such errors. Thecorrections may be carried out in real time, later in the data reductionprocess or both. As shown at box 604 in FIG. 6, the misalignmentcorrection is calculated using the rate sensor outputs and a GGIacceleration misalignment calculation. The misalignment calculation is apredetermined number, e.g., 10⁻⁶ rad, which represents an estimatedmisalignment of the GGI accelerometers not pointing in the plane of thedisc.

In particular, in one embodiment, the outputs from the rate sensors 408and 410 can be used to calculate a correction signal, which can besubtracted from GGI measurements to compensate for any misalignmenterrors. For example, errors due to accelerometer mis-alignment can beremoved from the GGI output by matching the GGI output to the ratesensor output using linear optimization. This is a mathematicaltechnique that matches correlations between one signal and a set ofother signals. First, a time-derivative of the rate sensor outputs istaken to convert the outputs from angular rates to angularaccelerations, as shown below in Equation (9):

α_(i) ^(j) =r _((i+1)) ^(j) −r _(i) ^(j)  Equation (9)

where r_(i) ^(th) is the i^(th) output from the j^(th) rate sensor, andα_(i) ^(j) is the i^(th) output of the j^(th) angular acceleration term.If the rate sensors are not rotating about the GGI axis in the samemanner as the GGI accelerometers on the disc then these angularaccelerations are modulated to take into account any additional ordifferential rotation. Modulating the angular accelerations splits theangular acceleration into two terms, as shown below in Equations 10-11:

m _(i) ^(jc)=α_(i) ^(j) cos(2ωt _(i))  Equation (10)

m _(i) ^(js)=α_(i) ^(j) sin(2ωt _(i))  Equation (11)

where t_(i) is the time in seconds of the i^(th) output, and α_(i) ^(j)is the rate of GGI rotor rotation expressed in radians per second. Theangular acceleration terms, e.g., m_(jc) and m^(js) (or α^(j) ifmodulation is not required) are then matched to the GGI output by meansof linear optimization. This can be accomplished either in the timedomain or in the frequency domain. The output of the linear optimizationis a set of amplitude coefficients including one for each of the inputfunctions. The misalignment correction signal due to each angularacceleration term is found by multiplying the angular acceleration termby its coefficient. The total misalignment correction is then calculatedby summing over the full set of correction signals, for example. Thetotal misalignment correction signal is then subtracted from the GGIoutput.

VI. Compensation for Non-Linearity Effects on GGI AccelerometerMeasurements

GGI measurements can also be affected by imperfections of theaccelerometers in other manners as well. For example, the accelerometersare arranged in the GGI so that accelerometers match to each other. Thisassumes that the accelerometers are perfect, but they are not, in partdue to the accelerometers not being perfectly linear (e.g., if x is aninput acceleration to an accelerometer, the output may beK1x+K2x²+K3x³+K4xy+K5xz+K6yz+K7yy+K8zz . . . ). Thus, to improvegravity-gradient measurements, the non-linearities can be subtracted.

In one embodiment, outputs from accelerometer a5 can be used to removethe non-linear effects of K5xz+K6yz+K8zz, for example, seen in theoutputs of the accelerometers a1-a4. And, since accelerometer a5 isdirectly coupled to the GGI 400, the accelerations sensed byaccelerometer a5 will be the same as the accelerations sensed byaccelerometers a1-a4, so that the accelerometer's a1-a4 outputs may becorrected accordingly.

In particular, in one embodiment, errors due to accelerometerlinearities can be removed from the GGI output by matching the GGIoutput to the rate sensor output using linear optimization, which isillustrated at box 606 in FIG. 6. An error model is first linearized bycombining and modulating accelerometer outputs to form error terms. Forexample, the following are examples of possible error terms,

a^(j)a^(k),

a^(k)a^(k),

a^(j)a^(k) cos(ωt),

a^(j)a^(k) sin(2ωt)

where a^(j) and a^(k) are accelerometer outputs, ω is the GGI rotor ratein radians per second, and t is time in seconds. The accelerometers usedto generate a^(j) and a^(k) can either be those intrinsic to the GGI, asused for its gravity gradient measurement (e.g., accelerometers on thedisc), or can be extra sensors mounted to the GGI. The error terms arefitted to the GGI output using linear optimization. The output of thisprocess is a set of amplitude coefficients, each one corresponding to anerror term. The resultant correction signal is the sum of the errorterms, each multiplied by its error coefficient. This correction signalis then subtracted from the GGI output.

Thus, after subtracting the corrections for the centripetal,misalignment and non-linearity signals from the GGI outputs, the GGIoutputs may then more closely reflect true gradiometer readings thatrepresent gravity vectors of a gravity reading in a particular area.

The computation processing of the embodiments presented herein can beperformed by discrete solid-state functional devices, by software- orfirmware-controlled microprocessors or computers, by an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), or by any combination thereof.

It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded asillustrative rather than limiting, and it is intended to be understoodthat the following claims including all equivalents define the scope ofthe invention.

1. A gravity gradiometer comprising: one or more accelerometers operableto measure an acceleration along an input axis, the one or moreaccelerometers mounted such that each input axis of the one or moreaccelerometers is orthogonal to each other; and one or more angular ratesensors operable to measure an angular rate about an input axis, the oneor more angular rate sensors mounted such that each input axis of theone or more angular rate sensors is orthogonal to each other.
 2. Thegravity gradiometer of claim 1, wherein the one or more accelerometersare mounted internally within the gravity gradiometer.
 3. The gravitygradiometer of claim 1, wherein the one or more accelerometers aremounted externally on the gravity gradiometer.
 4. The gravitygradiometer of claim 1, wherein the gravity gradiometer rotates about anaxis of rotation, and wherein the one or more angular rate sensors aremounted such that each input axis of the one or more angular ratesensors is orthogonal to the axis of rotation.
 5. The gravitygradiometer of claim 1, further comprising a disc that rotates about theaxis of rotation of the gravity gradiometer.
 6. The gravity gradiometerof claim 5, further comprising two or more multiples of twoaccelerometers mounted on the disc such that input axes of the two ormore multiples of two accelerometers are perpendicular to the axis ofrotation and tangent to a circumference of the disc.
 7. The gravitygradiometer of claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or moreaccelerometers is mounted such that its input axis is parallel to theaxis of rotation of the disc.
 8. The gravity gradiometer of claim 6,further comprising a processor coupled to the disc and operable tocalculate gravity tensors as a function of acceleration measured by thetwo or more multiples of two accelerometers.
 9. The gravity gradiometerof claim 8, wherein the processor further calculates a centripetalgravity gradient of the gravity gradiometer using outputs from the oneor more angular rate sensors, and subtracts the centripetal gravitygradient from the gravity tensors.
 10. The gravity gradiometer of claim8, wherein the processor further calculates a misalignment correctionterm of the gravity gradiometer using outputs from the one or moreangular rate sensors, and subtracts the misalignment correction termfrom the gravity tensors.
 11. The gravity gradiometer of claim 8,wherein the processor further removes non-linear effects present in thegravity tensors using outputs from the one or more accelerometersmounted such that each input axis of the one or more accelerometers isorthogonal to each other.
 12. A full-tensor gradient instrumentcomprising: at least three gravity gradiometer instruments jointlyoperable to acquire data from the x, y, and z coordinate directions,where each gravity gradiometer instrument includes: one or moreaccelerometers operable to measure an acceleration along an input axis,the one or more accelerometers mounted such that each input axis of theone or more accelerometers is orthogonal to each other; and one or moreangular rate sensors operable to measure an angular rate along an inputaxis, the one or more angular rate sensors mounted such that each inputaxis of the one or more angular rate sensors is orthogonal to eachother.
 13. The full-tensor gradient instrument of claim 12, whereinoutputs from the one or more accelerometers and the one or more angularrate sensors are used to correct gravity gradient signals for effectsselected from the group consisting of centripetal gravity gradientelements, alignment errors and non-linear effects.
 14. A methodcomprising: receiving a gravity gradient recorded by a gravitygradiometer; receiving outputs from one or more angular rate sensorsthat are directly coupled to the gravity gradiometer and that arerecorded while recording the gravity gradient, the one or more angularrate sensors operable to measure an angular rate along an input axis,and the one or more angular rate sensors mounted such that each inputaxis of the one or more angular rate sensors is orthogonal to eachother; calculating a centripetal gravity gradient of the gravitygradiometer using the outputs from the one or more angular rate sensors;and subtracting the centripetal gravity gradient from the gravitygradient measured by the gravity gradiometer.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein the gravity gradient measured by the gravity gradiometerincludes three inline outputs and three cross outputs, and whereincentripetal contributions to the three inline outputs are given byi ₁=10⁹·(Ω² _(v)−Ω² _(w))/2i ₂=10⁹·(Ω² _(w)−Ω² _(u))/2i ₃=10⁹·(Ω² _(u)−Ω² _(v))/2 and centripetal contributions to the threecross outputs are given byc ₁=10⁹·(Ω_(v)Ω_(w))c ₂=10⁹·(Ω_(w)Ω_(u))c ₃=10⁹·(Ω_(u)Ω_(v))whereΩ_(u) =C _(u)+ω_(u)Ω_(v) =C _(v)+ω_(v)Ω_(w) =C _(w)+ω_(w) where Ω_(i) is a total rotation rate about an i^(th)axis and is given by a sum of a commanded rate, C_(i), of the gravitygradiometer and a jitter rate sensed by the one or more angular ratesensors, ω_(i).
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the gravitygradiometer is mounted on a platform that includes gyroscopes to senseaccelerations, and wherein the jitter rate is obtained by filtering andcombining outputs of the platform gyroscopes and outputs of the one ormore angular rate sensors.
 17. The method of claim 15, whereinsubtracting the centripetal gravity gradient from the gravity gradientmeasured by the gravity gradiometer comprises subtracting thecentripetal contributions from the three inline outputs and the threecross outputs of the gravity gradient.
 18. The gravity gradiometer ofclaim 1, wherein the gravity gradiometer does not rotate about an axis.19. The gravity gradiometer of claim 1, wherein the gravity gradiometerdoes not substantially rotate about an axis.
 20. The gravity gradiometerof claim 1, wherein the one or more accelerometers do not rotate aboutan axis.
 21. The full-tensor gradient instrument of claim 12, whereinnone of the at least three gravity gradiometer instruments rotate aboutan axis.
 22. The full-tensor gradient instrument of claim 12, whereinnone of the at least three gravity gradiometer instruments substantiallyrotate about an axis.
 23. The full-tensor gradient instrument of claim12, wherein the one or more accelerometers do not rotate about an axis.24. The method of claim 14, wherein the gravity gradiometer does notrotate about an axis.
 25. The method of claim 14, wherein the gravitygradiometer does not substantially rotate about an axis.
 26. A methodcomprising: receiving outputs from one or more angular rate sensors thatare directly coupled to a gravity gradiometer, the gravity gradiometeroperable to measure a gravity gradient from the x, y, and z coordinatedirections, the one or more angular rate sensors operable to measure anangular rate along an input axis, and the one or more angular ratesensors mounted such that each input axis of the one or more angularrate sensors is orthogonal to each other; calculating a misalignmentcorrection term using the outputs from the one or more angular ratesensors by matching the gravity gradient to the outputs from the one ormore angular rate sensors using linear optimization, the misalignmentcorrection term compensating for alignment errors within the gravitygradient, and wherein outputs of the linear optimization is a set ofamplitude coefficients including one for each angular rate sensoroutput, and wherein calculating the misalignment correction termincludes: multiplying the outputs from the one or more angular ratesensors by their corresponding amplitude coefficient to producecorrection signals, and adding the correction signals to produce themisalignment correction term; and subtracting the misalignmentcorrection term from the gravity gradient measured by the gravitygradiometer.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the gravity gradiometerincludes a disc that rotates about an axis of rotation of the gravitygradiometer that includes two or more multiples of two accelerometersmounted on the disc such that input axes of the two or more multiples oftwo accelerometers are perpendicular to the axis of rotation and tangentto a circumference of the disc, and wherein if the one or more angularrate sensors are not rotating about the axis of rotation in the samemanner as the multiples of two accelerometers, the method furthercomprises: modulating the outputs from the one or more angular ratesensors; and matching the modulated outputs to the to the gravitygradient using linear optimization.
 28. The method of claim 26, whereinthe gravity gradiometer does not rotate about an axis.
 29. A methodcomprising: receiving outputs from one or more accelerometers of agravity gradiometer, the one or more accelerometers operable to measurean acceleration along an input axis, and the one or more accelerometerscoupled to the gravity gradiometer such that each input axis of the oneor more accelerometers is orthogonal to each other, wherein the gravitygradiometer is operable to measure a gravity gradient; calculating acorrection term using the outputs from the one or more accelerometers,the correction term compensating for non-linearities within the gravitygradiometer; and subtracting the correction term from the gravitygradient measured by the gravity gradiometer.
 30. The method of claim29, wherein calculating a correction term comprises: matching thegravity gradient to the outputs from the one or more accelerometersusing linear optimization to form an error model signal; fitting theerror model signal to the gravity gradient using linear optimization toproduce a set of amplitude coefficients, each coefficient correspondingto an error term in the error model signal; multiplying the error termsby their corresponding amplitude coefficients to produce normalizedsignals; and adding the normalized signals to produce the correctionterm.
 31. The method of claim 29, wherein the gravity gradiometer doesnot rotate about an axis.